Diet taboos for bile duct stones

The first is the short-term intake of large amounts of high-fat and high-cholesterol foods, the second is overeating, and the third is alcoholism. Other so-called "can't eat eggs", "can't drink milk", "can't touch soy products" and other statements are not universal. They should be adjusted flexibly based on your own stone type and attack history. Extreme taboos may worsen the condition.

Don’t believe it. The 62-year-old patient I treated last month, Uncle Zhang, had three 0.4cm cholesterol stones in his bile duct during a physical examination and had no symptoms for half a year. At his son’s wedding banquet, he greedily ate two pieces of pork belly and drank half a glass of white wine. That night, he suffered from pain in his upper right abdomen and broke out in a cold sweat. He was sent for a check-up and found that the stones were stuck in the lower section of the common bile duct and he had mild obstructive jaundice. He immediately arranged for emergency ERCP to remove the stones.

Why are these three things untouchable? In fact, when bile duct stones cause pain and obstruction, there are two main reasons: either high-fat food stimulates a large amount of bile secretion, causing the bile duct to contract violently, pushing the stones into a narrow position and blocking them. ； Either there are too many cholesterol and bile pigments in the food, which are constantly deposited on the original stones and become larger and larger. High-fat and high-cholesterol foods, overeating, and alcoholism just hit these two minefields. Especially for patients who have already had biliary colic or obstruction, these three things should be avoided as much as possible.

When many people are diagnosed with bile duct stones, their first reaction is "I can never eat eggs again." This statement is actually very controversial. The current mainstream clinical view is that if your stones are cholesterol-related, the amount of egg yolks must be controlled. At most half a boiled egg yolk a day. Try not to touch fried eggs, salted egg yolks, which are rich in oil and have high cholesterol. ； But if it is a bile pigment stone, it has little to do with cholesterol metabolism. As long as you don’t feel uncomfortable after eating it, one boiled egg a day is completely fine. On the contrary, the high-quality protein you supplement can help maintain the normal function of the biliary wall, which is much better than eating a vegetarian diet every day.

Speaking of vegetarianism, I once met a female patient in her 30s who had a small bile duct stone of 0.3cm during a physical examination. She was so scared that she didn’t even dare to put olive oil in her body, so she cooked vegetables and whole grains in water. However, after three months of follow-up examination, it was found that the stone had grown to 0.5cm. Why? Think about it, bile is like the oil storage box of the kitchen range hood. If you don't touch any oil every day, the bile does not need to be discharged at all. It is all accumulated in the bile duct, becoming thicker and thicker. The impurities inside will sink faster and faster, which will encourage the growth of stones.

In fact, you really don’t need to go to such an extreme level for your daily meals. For example, if a friend makes a hot pot appointment, don't choose a butter pot or a bone soup pot, but choose a clear soup pot. Instead of boiling fat sheep, fat beef, and tripe brains, boil some lean beef, baby vegetables, and tofu. Don't dip it in a lot of sesame sauce. Just use light soy sauce and millet spicy to make a small condiment. Eat until you are about 70% full, and there will be no problem at all. If you really want to eat braised pork, you can occasionally pick up a thumb-sized piece to satisfy your craving. As long as you don’t feel bloated or painful after eating, it’s not a big mistake. It’s better than being in a bad mood and weakening your immunity if you’re hungry every day.

There are also some minefields that are easily overlooked. For example, many people think that if they are sweet but not greasy, they will be fine. In fact, the trans fatty acids in milk tea and cream cakes, as well as excess sugar, will affect cholesterol metabolism and accelerate the growth of cholesterol stones, so you should avoid touching them in daily life. In addition, don’t eat too many persimmons and hawthorns on an empty stomach. The tannic acid in them can easily combine with bile to form precipitates, which will also aggravate the risk of stones.

In fact, I often tell my patients that the dietary taboos for bile duct stones are never a printed list of taboos. Everyone’s situation is different. Some people wince in pain when they eat an omelette, and some people occasionally eat fried crispy pork and are fine. You should pay more attention to it, write it down if you feel uncomfortable after eating it, and just don’t touch it next time. Keep the three core red lines firmly, and don’t be too harsh on the rest. After all, the mood of living well is quite important, isn’t it?